S.C. Code Ann. § 16-3-85
This is the official text of S.C. Code Ann. § 16-3-85, part of South Carolina’s Code Ann — part of the compiled statutory law of South Carolina, published by the state as "Code Ann." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
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SECTION 16-3-85. Homicide by child abuse; definitions; penalty; sentencing.
Official statutory text
(A) A person is guilty of homicide by child abuse if the person: (1) causes the death of a child under the age of eleven while committing child abuse or neglect, and the death occurs under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to human life; or (2) knowingly aids and abets another person to commit child abuse or neglect, and the child abuse or neglect results in the death of a child under the age of eleven. (B) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) "child abuse or neglect" means an act or omission by any person which causes harm to the child's physical health or welfare; (2) "harm" to a child's health or welfare occurs when a person: (a) inflicts or allows to be inflicted upon the child physical injury, including injuries sustained as a result of excessive corporal punishment; (b) fails to supply the child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, or health care, and the failure to do so causes a physical injury or condition resulting in death; or (c) abandons the child resulting in the child's death. (C) Homicide by child abuse is a felony and a person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to homicide by child abuse: (1) under subsection (A)(1) may be imprisoned for life but not less than a term of twenty years; or (2) under subsection (A)(2) must be imprisoned for a term not exceeding twenty years nor less than ten years. (D) In sentencing a person under this section, the judge must consider any aggravating circumstances including, but not limited to, a defendant's past pattern of child abuse or neglect of a child under the age of eleven, and any mitigating circumstances; however, a child's crying does not constitute provocation so as to be considered a mitigating circumstance.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
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